Azadi Briefing

Welcome back to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban created a special commission last year to help convince exiled former officials from the deposed Western-backed Afghan government to return to their homeland.

A spokesman for the commission this month claimed that more than 600 political figures, ex-officials, and other prominent Afghans who were promised amnesty had returned to Afghanistan since March 2022.

But dozens of returnees told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that they left Afghanistan again over their disillusionment with the Taliban and fears for their safety.

Janat Fahim Chakari, the head of the private Karwan University in Kabul, said he left the country after receiving "many threats." "Unfortunately, we were not treated well" by the Taliban, he said.

Meanwhile, Lal Mohammad Gharibzadeh, a local anti-Taliban leader in northern Afghanistan who had returned to the country, was killed by unidentified gunmen last month. Gharibzadeh's relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, suspect that he was targeted by the Taliban.

Why It's Important: The Taliban appears to be using the return of former Afghan officials for propaganda purposes. Many of the homecomings have been heavily publicized, with Taliban officials meeting the returnees at the airport and taking photos with them.

Observers have said the militant group wants to boost its internal legitimacy and show that it is inclusive.

Yet, the extremist group has monopolized power, sidelining many ethnic and political groups as well as women since forcibly seizing control of Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban's theocratic government remains unrecognized and appears to have little support among Afghans.

The Taliban has shown no signs that it is willing to form an inclusive government or accept any political opposition to its rule.

What's Next: More prominent Afghans who have returned to their homeland are likely to leave the country again amid concerns over their safety and mounting Taliban repression.

Zarifa Ghafari, a former mayor, is the only prominent Afghan female political figure who has returned to the country since the Taliban takeover. But she left Afghanistan soon after arriving and has since criticized the Taliban.

What To Keep An Eye On

Authorities in Iran's western province of Kermanshah have imposed new restrictions on Afghan migrants.

Hamzeh Soleimani, a local official, was quoted as saying that Afghans would no longer be allowed to live or work in the province as of August 10. He said any Iranian employers who violated the order would be punished.

It is unclear how many Afghans will be affected by the order in Kermanshah. Iranian officials have not specified the reasons for the move.

Why It's Important: The new rules in Kermanshah are the latest restrictions imposed on members of Iran's large Afghan community, many of whom have complained of widespread discrimination and abuse.

An estimated 3 million Afghans, many of them undocumented refugees and migrants, live in Iran. Over 1 million Afghan have arrived in Iran following the Taliban takeover, although Tehran is believed to have deported more than half of the recent arrivals.

Afghans in the Islamic republic say they have come under growing pressure from the authorities amid rising tensions between Iran and the Taliban over cross-border water resources.

In May, authorities in Iran's southwestern province of Fars banned retail stores and grocery shops from employing foreigners, including Afghans, as salespeople and shop assistants.

Juma Gul, an Afghan migrant who lived and worked in Fars, said he was arrested by police at his workplace and deported from Iran. "They beat us and said, 'your government does not give us water,'" he told Radio Azadi. "They treated us with cruelty and disrespect."

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Mustafa Sarwar

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban this week burned scores of musical instruments it claimed to have recently seized across Afghanistan.

The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on July 19 released photos of the blaze. The ministry declared music is un-Islamic and promotes "immorality that has caused the youth to go astray and society to be destroyed."

Widely condemned by Afghans on social media, the move is seen as part of the Taliban's war on music.

The extremist group banned music soon after seizing power in 2021 and has burned instruments and beaten musicians. That has led hundreds of musicians to flee the country in fear of their lives.

Why It's Important: The Taliban also banned music during its brutal regime in the 1990s.

At that time, many musicians fled to neighboring Pakistan and Iran, where they could practice freely and pass their knowledge on to the next generation. Most musicians who remained in Afghanistan either played secretly in their homes or hid their instruments.

Now, a new generation of Afghan musicians have decided to escape their homeland.

"Music is ending in Afghanistan," a musician, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "We [musicians] will go to Pakistan or anywhere else [where we are safe]."

Ahmad Sarmast, the self-exiled founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, told Radio Azadi that Afghanistan is the only country where music is prohibited.

"The people of Afghanistan have been deprived of all their musical rights, which includes access to music education, listening to music, participating in musical programs, making a living through music, and access to facilities for publishing, reproducing, and sharing music with society."

What's Next: Great strides were made in reviving Afghanistan's musical traditions after the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban's first regime in 2001.

Those gains have now been reversed, and more musicians and artists are likely to flee Afghanistan or abandon their musical careers if they remain in their homeland.

The Week's Best Stories

Afghan women demonstrated in Kabul on June 19 to demand the Taliban back down from its decree ordering the closure of beauty salons. The women say the shutdown would leave their families with no income. Taliban officials say beauty salons are forbidden under Shari'a law and demanded they be closed by July 25.

The Taliban has suspended the activities of a major Swedish aid group operating in Afghanistan. Afghans fear the move will aggravate an already devastating humanitarian crisis that has pushed millions to the brink of starvation.

What To Keep An Eye On

The family of Afghan journalist Irfanullah Bidar said he has been missing since July 12.

A source close to the family who did not want to be named for fear of retribution told Radio Azadi that Bidar was detained by unknown gunmen outside a mosque in the eastern city of Jalalabad. The men put a bag over Bidar's head before whisking him away in a car, the source said.

The source said Bidar, a reporter for Radio Safa, had no known enemies.

The disappearance of Bidar, a father of four, has been widely blamed on the Taliban's notorious intelligence service. The militant group has not publicly commented on his disappearance.

Why It's Important: Bidar is the latest journalist to be arrested or disappear in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has intensified its crackdown on independent reporters and media outlets.

In its annual report issued in May, the Afghanistan Journalist Center, a media watchdog, said cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, threats, and intimidation of journalists rose around 60 percent in the past year.

Since seizing power, the Taliban has waged a brutal crackdown on dissent that has targeted human rights defenders, women activists, intellectuals, and journalists.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.

Until next time,

Frud Bezhan

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.